A. Field of the Invention
The integrated modular spraying system includes a tank, a hose spool, an elongate flexible hose and a pump. This system is suitable for applying various types of chemicals in either liquid or powder form. An applicator wand or gun is normally attached to one end of the flexible hose to facilitate application of the chemical. The invention is particularly suitable for use by exterminating companies for application of insecticides around the exterior of residential homes. The plastic tank used in the present invention includes a modular design which forms a frame to support the hose spool.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Exterminating companies use various systems for applying chemicals around and in homes. One common approach is a backpack sprayer with a hand operated pump which is described in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,903. In typical backpack sprayers, a hand operated lever operates a pump to transfer the liquid from the backpack to a target. This type of sprayer creates several difficulties for the operator. In the exterminating business, it is common for employees to visit between ten and twenty residential homes per day and to treat these homes for various pests. In this connection, the employee is typically assigned a company truck for hauling his equipment, inter alia, the backpack sprayer and suitable chemicals. At each stop, the employee first must lift and vigorously shake the backpack sprayer to mix the contents and then strap the sprayer to his back, carry it from the truck to the target and then constantly pump the lever to apply the necessary chemical. After he has completed the application, he carries the backpack to the truck and removes it. Several times during the day it might also be necessary to refill the backpack sprayer.
Backpack sprayers of this nature, when filled with liquid, may weigh from approximately thirty-five to forty-five pounds. It is therefore stressful for employees to carry around this load on a daily basis and to be continually taking it on and off. In addition, the pump requires repetitive pumping actions which may lead to various types of cumulative trauma distress including, but not limited to, carpel tunnel syndrome. The heavy pack makes operators more prone to falls and ankle and back injuries. When refilling, mixing or using the backpack, some of the chemicals may spill on the exterior and may ultimately come in contact with the clothing or skin of the operator. Although relatively economical to purchase and maintain, backpack sprayers have disadvantages from the operator's perspective.
Another common approach used by exterminating companies to apply chemicals in and around houses is a truck-mounted tank with pump and hose reel. With this type of apparatus, the operator parks the truck as close as possible to the home or other target. The operator then pulls a sufficient length of flexible hose from the reel to treat targets which are remote from the truck. After the application of the chemical is complete, the hose reel is rotated to retract and rewind the hose. Most hose reels have manual cranks for this purpose. A typical prior art truck-mounted system is Part No. 2000-15RP-M-H which is offered by Norel, a division of Oldham Chemical Company, located in Memphis, Tennessee. This truck-mounted system includes a metal frame supporting a plastic tank, a pump and a hose reel. The tank holds approximately fifteen gallons of liquid and the hose reel comes with approximately 150 feet of three-eights inch flexible hose. The entire apparatus weighs approximately one hundred pounds and is approximately twenty-eight inches long, thirty-eight inches wide and nineteen inches tall. This system is more user friendly than a backpack sprayer because the operator does not have to put the backpack on and off or carry it to and from each target on a repetitive basis. However, the truck-mounted system is substantially more expensive to purchase and maintain than the typical backpack sprayer. Typical truck-mounted systems provide 150 feet of hose.
The present invention is a truck-mounted spraying system which is more economical to manufacture and operate than conventional truck-mounted systems because it uses an integrated modular design. This modular design also allows for a compact apparatus which weighs approximately fifty pounds dry and which will fit inside of a two foot.times.two foot.times.two foot cube, for a twelve gallon model. In the preferred embodiment, the invention is equipped with 500 feet of three-eights inch hose. Other larger models could also be fabricated using this same integrated modular design. This compact design leaves more free space in a pickup truck which can be used for other purposes. The compact design allows the integrated modular spraying system to be mounted underneath the bed of larger trucks. This compact design allows for mounting of several different units in the back of one pickup truck. This multi-unit approach allows the operator to fill each unit with a different type of chemical.
Modern types of chemicals include micro-encapsulated spheres which provide for time release of the chemical. The present invention is particularly suited for use with micro-encapsulated chemicals which tend to be substantially higher in price than traditional chemicals and, therefore, tend to be applied in smaller amounts. Use of micro-encapsulated chemicals is more environmentally sound because of the time release aspect and because less of the chemical is released in the initial phases of treatment.